Paul Gross
Paul Gross | |
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![]() Gross at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival | |
Born | Paul Michael Gross April 30, 1959 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Occupation | Actor producer screenwriter composer director |
Years active | 1985–present |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 2, including Hannah |
Paul Michael Gross OC (born April 30, 1959)[citation needed] is a Canadian actor, producer, director, musician, and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. During Due South's final season, Gross acted as executive producer in addition to starring, wrote the season three opener and finale, the two part series finale and wrote and sang songs for the show, some of which can be found on the two Due South soundtracks. He later found success with another Canadian TV series, Slings & Arrows. He also produced one film with Akshay Kumar called Breakaway starring Camilla Belle and Vinay Virmani.[1]
Early life[]
Gross was born in Calgary, Alberta, the son of Renie Gross (née Dunne), a writer and art historian, and Robert "Bob" Gross, a career soldier, colonel, and tank commander.[2][3] His family moved to Arlington, Virginia in his adolescence, where Gross attended Yorktown High School. He credits drama teacher Timothy Jecko as his inspiration for becoming an actor: "I'm not sure where I would have ended up otherwise."[4]
Career[]
Gross studied acting at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, but he left during the third year of his study.[5] He went back later to complete the half-credit needed to receive his fine arts degree.[6] He appeared in several stage productions, such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.[7] Other productions in which he appeared include Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme and As You Like It.[7] His student work "The Deer and the Antelope Play" was co-produced by the university’s department of drama and , and won both the Clifford E. Lee National Playwriting Award and the Alberta Culture Playwriting Award.[6]
After the play Successful Strangers, Gross starred in his first movie, Turning to Stone.
He wrote and directed the curling movie Men with Brooms. He wrote, co-produced, directed and starred in the Genie Award-winning film Passchendaele, inspired by stories he heard from his grandfather, a First World War soldier.[6]
From September 16, 2011, he appeared in a production of Noël Coward's Private Lives in Toronto co-starring Kim Cattrall (the production ended October 30, 2011);[8] the production moved to Broadway where it opened November 6, and closed on December 31, 2011.[9]
More recently, Gross completed work on the contemporary war drama Hyena Road, released on October 9, 2015.[10][6]
Between 2011 and 2014 he appeared in 9 episodes as Kevin Crocker on Republic of Doyle.
Due South[]
His role as upright Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Benton Fraser in the Due South television series brought him increased recognition. Like fellow actor David Marciano, he didn't want to do the show at first, and creator Paul Haggis didn't even know if he wanted Gross for the role, but following a meeting, he was cast as Constable Benton Fraser.[11]
When Due South was revived for the third season, Gross returned in the role of Benton Fraser. He also took on duties as executive producer and writer. He earned an estimated salary of $2–3 million per season, and at the time was the highest-paid performer in Canadian television history.[12] He wrote several episodes of the last season of the series. His favorite episodes include "Gift of the Wheelman" and "All the Queen's Horses" and his episodes "Mountie on the Bounty" and "Call of the Wild" are of a similar style.[11]
Personal life[]
In September 1988, Gross married Canadian actress Martha Burns. The couple have two children, Hannah and Jack.
Theatre[]
Year | Role | Title | Theatre |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Sylvius | As You Like It | Northern Light Theatre, Edmonton |
Lysander | A Midsummer Night's Dream | ||
1982–1983 | Mrs Warren's Profession | Theatre Calgary | |
Unseen Hand | |||
Farther West | |||
Clarence Underhill | National Arts Centre, Ottawa | ||
Motherwell | The Kite | Festival Lennoxville | |
Take Me Where the Water is Warm | |||
George Gaga | In the Jungle of Cities | ||
1984 | Dorante | Successful Strangers | Centaur Theatre, Montréal |
Romeo | Romeo and Juliet | Toronto Free Theatre, Toronto | |
1988 | Young Kenneth Pyper | Observe the sons of ulster marching towards the somme | Centrestage Co., Toronto |
1989 | Brick | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg |
2000 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Stratford Festival of Canada |
2011 | Elyot | Private Lives | Royal Alexandra Theatre, Music Box Theatre |
2012 | Edmund Gowery | Are You There, McPhee? | McCarter Theatre, New Jersey |
Filmography[]
Films[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Cold Comfort | Stephen Miller | |
Divided Loyalties | Walter Butler | ||
1991 | Married to It | Jeremy Brimfield | |
1992 | Buried on Sunday | Augustus Knickel | |
1993 | Aspen Extreme | T.J. Burke | |
1994 | Whale Music | Daniel Howl | |
Morton Ridgewell | |||
2002 | Men with Brooms | Chris Cutter | Also writer and director |
2004 | Wilby Wonderful | Buddy French | |
2008 | Passchendaele | Michael Dunne | Also writer, producer and director |
2010 | Gunless | The Montana Kid | |
Barney's Version | Constable O'Malley of the North | ||
2011 | Speedy Singhs | Producer | |
2015 | Hyena Road | Pete Mitchell | Also writer, producer and director |
Beeba Boys | Jamie | ||
2018 | The Parting Glass | Sean | |
2021 | The Middle Man | The Sherriff |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Turning to Stone | Billy | Debut; television film |
1986 | Airwaves | Writer | |
1988 | Chasing Rainbows | Jake Kincaid | 14 episodes |
1989 | Street Legal | Steven Hines | 2 episodes |
1990 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Skip | 1 episode |
Getting Married in Buffalo Jump | Alex Bresnyachuk | Television film | |
1993 | Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer | Writer | |
1993 | Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City | Brian Hawkins | 6 episodes |
1994 | XXX's & OOO's | Bucky Dean | Television film |
1994–1999 | Due South | Constable Benton Fraser | 67 episodes |
1996–1998 | The Red Green Show | Kevin Black | 5 episodes |
1997 | Noel's House Party | Himself | 1 episode[13] |
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Ned Land | Television film | |
1999 | Murder Most Likely | Patrick Kelly | Television film |
2003–2005 | The Eleventh Hour | Tony Joel | 2 episodes |
2003–2006 | Slings & Arrows | Geoffrey Tennant | 18 episodes |
2004 | H2O: The Last Prime Minister | Thomas David McLaughlin | Also writer and executive producer |
Monday Report | Thomas David McLaughlin | Episode #2.3 | |
2005 | Burnt Toast | Scott | Television film |
2006 | Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story | John Diefenbaker | 2 episodes |
Hockey: A People's History | Narrator | 10 episodes | |
2008 | The Trojan Horse | Thomas David McLaughlin | Also writer and executive producer |
2009–2010 | Eastwick | Darryl Van Horne | Regular; 12 episodes |
2010 | Men with Brooms | Chris Cutter | 12 episodes |
2011–2014 | Republic of Doyle | Kevin Crocker | 9 episodes |
2017 | Alias Grace | Thomas Kinnear | 4 episodes |
2018 | Caught | Roy Patterson | Miniseries; 5 episodes |
2019 | Tales of the City | Brian Hawkins | Main cast; 9 episodes |
2021 | Y: The Last Man | The President | Pilot |
Honours[]
Ribbon | Description | Notes |
![]() |
Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.) |
|
![]() |
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada |
|
Awards[]
Year | Award | Category | Film/Play | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | Alberta Culture competition | New Play | The Deer and the Antelope Play | Won |
1982 | Clifford E. Lee Foundation | National Award for Playwrights | The Deer and the Antelope Play | Won |
Alberta Culture competition | New Play | The Dead of Winter | Won | |
1985 | Dora Award | Best Performance | Romeo and Juliet | Nominated |
1986 | Gemini Award | Best Writing in a TV Drama | In This Corner | Nominated |
1988 | Dora Award | Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Featured Role | Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme | Won |
1994 | Gemini Award | Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | Gross Misconduct | Nominated |
1995 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Due South | Won |
1996 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Due South | Won |
1997 | Gemini Award | Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Due South | Nominated (with Paul Quarrington, John Krizanc) |
1998 | Gemini Award | Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Due South | Won (with John Krizanc, R.B. Carney – Mountie on the Bounty, part 2) |
Best Dramatic Series | Due South | Nominated (with Frank Siracusa, Peter Bray, R.B. Carney, George Bloomfield) | ||
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Due South | Nominated | ||
Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Due South | Nominated (with R.B. Carney, John Krizanc – Mountie on the Bounty, part 1) | ||
Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Due South | Nominated (Burning Down the House) | ||
1999 | Gemini Award | Canada's Choice Award | Due South | Won (with Frank Siracusa, David Cole, R.B. Carney) |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Due South | Nominated | ||
2000 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | Murder Most Likely | Nominated |
Best TV Movie or Dramatic Mini-Series | Murder Most Likely | Nominated (with R.B. Carney, Frank Siracusa, Robert Forsyth, Anne Marie La Traverse) | ||
2003 | Canadian Comedy Award | Pretty Funny Direction | Men With Brooms | Won |
Pretty Funny Male Performance | Men With Brooms | Nominated | ||
Pretty Funny Writing | Men With Brooms | Nominated (with John Krizanc) | ||
Genie Award | Best Original Screenplay | Men With Brooms | Nominated (with John Krizanc) | |
2004 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Slings & Arrows | Won |
2005 | ACTRA Toronto | Award Of Excellence | Won | |
Writers Guild of Canada | Movie of the Week and/or Mini-Series | H2O | Won (with John Krizanc) | |
Directors Guild of Canada | Outstanding Team Achievement in a Television Movie or Mini-Series | H2O | Won | |
Gemini Award | Best Dramatic Mini-Series | H2O | Nominated (with Frank Siracusa) | |
Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | H2O | Nominated (with John Krizanc) | ||
Monte Carlo Television Festival | Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series | H2O | Won | |
2007 | Gemini Award | Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Slings & Arrows | Won |
2008 | Gemini Award | Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | The Trojan Horse | Nominated (with John Krizanc) |
2009 | Genie Award | Best Motion Picture | Passchendaele | Won (with Niv Fichman, Francis Damberger and Frank Siracusa) |
Golden Reel Award | Passchendaele | Won (with Niv Fichman, Francis Damberger and Frank Siracusa) | ||
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Passchendaele | Nominated | ||
NBC Universal Canada | Award of Distinction | Won | ||
The Governor General's performing arts awards | National Arts Centre Award: Exceptional Achievement over the Past Performance Year | Won | ||
Directors Guild of Canada | Team Feature Film | Passchendaele | Won | |
Pierre Berton Award | Passchendaele | Won | ||
(Sources: Paul Gross website) |
Discography[]
Albums[]
Year | Album |
---|---|
1997 | Two Houses (with David Keeley) |
2001 | Love and Carnage (with David Keeley)
(first released as Give the Dog a Bone)[16] |
Singles[]
Year | Single | CAN Country | Album |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | "Voodoo" | Two Houses (with David Keeley) | |
1998 | "32 Down on the Robert MacKenzie" | ||
1999 | "Papa's Front Porch" | 61 | |
2000 | "Ride Forever" |
References[]
- ^ "Speedy Singhs as producer". bollywoodhungama.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011.
- ^ Johnson, Brian D. "Paul Gross (Profile)".
- ^ "Paul Gross FAQ". paulgross.org.
- ^ Harris, Bill. "Paul Gross's Remarkable Teacher, Tim Jecko". Professionally Speaking. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "TV.com". Paul Gross Biography. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d MacPherson, Adrianna (October 11, 2015). "From Student to Star: With a new film hitting the big screen, actor-writer-director Paul Gross reflects on his time honing his craft in Edmonton". Avenue magazine Edmonton. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Paul's stage roles". Paul Gross website. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ "Private Lives". Mirvish Productions. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
- ^ "About". Private Lives. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
- ^ Daniel Chai. "Movie Review: Hyena Road takes you into the heart of Canada's Afghanistan war". Vancity Buzz.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Due South Archived December 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
- ^ "Paul Gross (Profile)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ "Paul Gross on Crinkley Bottom". Retrieved September 22, 2010 – via YouTube.
- ^ http://gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=6896&t=12&ln=Gross
- ^ http://gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=215559&t=13&ln=Gross
- ^ "Give a Dog a Bone (review)". Paul Gross. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
External links[]
- Paul Gross at The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Paul Gross at IMDb
- Paul Gross at AllMovie
- Watch Remembrance, a vignette on Paul Gross for his Governor General's Performing Arts Award.
- PaulGross.org
- Paul Gross at Northern Stars
- Officers of the Order of Canada
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian television writers
- Canadian television producers
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian film producers
- 21st-century Canadian screenwriters
- Canadian male screenwriters
- Canadian male stage actors
- Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
- Best Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners
- University of Alberta alumni
- Film directors from Calgary
- Male actors from Calgary
- Writers from Calgary
- Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- Canadian male television writers
- Canadian Comedy Award winners